Virome characterization of Culex pipiens in France through metagenomic analysis: a new virus discovered. P3

Culex pipiens is a mosquito vector of West Nile virus (WNV), the causing agent of West Nile fever. Epizooties of WNV have taken place in France, mainly in French Camargue, and in some instances human cases have been diagnosed. However, beyond WNV, little is known on the viruses associated to Culex pipiens, above all on viruses non-pathogenic for humans or livestock. Such viruses could have a role in WNV epidemiology either limiting mosquito populations or modulating the chances of WNV infection of Culex pipiens. Since the human impact of an ecosystem usually has an influence on species diversity, we can imagine a negative impact of human activity on the diversity of viral communities. Here we describe the development of an effective methodology for exploring viral diversity using high-throughput sequencing. We present the first results of the virome of Culex pipiens from sites with two different level of human activity in Camargue, showing that our approach allows to identify new viruses and, in some cases, to obtain almost full-length viral genomes. (Texte integral)